Can the Montreal Canadiens Recreate 2012 LA Kings Cup Run?

Only once in NHL history has an 8th seed won the Stanley Cup. It happened in 2012 when the Los Angeles Kings went on a miracle run, going 16-4 in the playoffs, to hoist the cup for the first time in franchise history. After completing their sweep of the Winnipeg Jets and securing their spot in the NHL's final four this year, are the lowest-seeded Montréal Canadiens on a path to recreate the Kings' unlikely run? These five similarities suggest that it is certainly possible for the Canadiens to go all the way, although the biggest challenge still lies ahead.

Similarity 1 — Sneaking Into the Playoffs

On Monday December 12th, 2011, the Kings fired their head coach Terry Murray. At the time, the club sported a 13-12-4 record and sat 12th in the Western Conference standings despite winning five of their first seven games. After a four game stint with interim head coach John Stevens at the helm, the organization brought in Darryl Sutter to right the ship. Similarly this season, Canadiens head coach Claude Julien only lasted 18 games. The Habs won seven of their first ten then would go on a skid where they lost six of their next eight. Julien's team was 9-5-4 when he was relieved of his duties and replaced by interim head coach Dominique Ducharme.

In these situations and more so with this season's Canadiens team, both firings were an indication that the team was not living up to their expectations. Interestingly, the Kings were statistically a much better team than the Habs were after the coaching changes. With Sutter, the Kings were 25-13-11 and has a +15 goal differential on their way to securing the final playoff spot in the West. They also ranked second in the league in goals against, and weren't the worst team in the postseason, coming in with more regular season points than three Eastern Conference teams: the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, and Ottawa Senators. Although the Kings took the winding road, they played 82 games like everyone else and ended up five points clear of the next Western conference team.

The Montréal Canadiens, on the other hand, were beneficiaries of the COVID-19 influenced division realignments that placed them into an all-Canadian North division. For all 56 games of the shortened regular season, the Habs solely played the other six Canadian teams in what is thought to be the worst division in hockey. Not only were they the least successful regular season team of the 16 total participating in the tournament, they actually ranked 18th overall in the league standings, even behind two non-playoff teams in the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. The team limped into the first round by default after losing their final five games and still qualifying, much thanks to the Calgary Flames being allergic to wins and the Vancouver Canucks dealing with a month long COVID-19 pause that resulted in most of the team getting sick. The Habs are one of only two teams participating in the postseason who had with a negative goal differential. The St. Louis Blues entered with a -1 differential, while these Canadiens entered with a -9 rating.

While the 2012 Kings had a horrific offense throughout the regular season, they at least had the league's second fewest goals against in the league. The Canadiens had no such success in the regular season with the 17th ranked offense and 18th ranked defense. Regardless, both the Kings and Canadiens qualified, and both defeated overwhelmingly favored opponents in the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs in five and seven games, respectively.

Similarity 2 —Second Round Sweep

The 2012 Kings made quick work of their Presidents' Trophy winning opponents in round one with a dominant five game series win over the Vancouver Canucks. Montréal, on the other hand, fell to 1-3 in their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs before winning three straight to claim the series, including two in overtime.

In the second round, however, both teams got the job done quickly. Facing the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets, who had home ice advantage, the visiting clubs took the first two games in hostile territory and completed the sweep on home ice to punch their ticket to the semi-finals. Throughout their second round sweeps, both teams only surrendered six goals in four games, and the Kings scored a total of 15 while the Habs scored a total of 14 goals, outscoring their opponents 15-6 and 14-6 in total.

Similarity 3 — Timely Goaltending

When we think back to the 2012 Stanley Cup and the LA Kings run, Jonathan Quick is rightfully one of the first things that comes to mind. He was an absolute monster, posting a .946 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.41 while playing all 20 games of the playoffs. The 26-year-old won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the postseason for his play, which included a remarkable three shutouts. He was undoubtedly the best goalie in those playoffs, and at one point had the Kings on an eight game winning streak.

Although Carey Price is less of an up-and-comer than Quick was, the 33-year-old Canadiens netminder has been up to the task throughout their run. Following a somewhat average regular season campaign that was shortened due to injury, Price started on the right foot by stifling the Leafs in game one of the playoffs, allowing just one goal on 36 shots. The team then entered a three game lull, giving Toronto the 3-1 series lead, but when they had their backs against the wall for the second half of that series, Price had all the answers. He kept them in the game despite dominating stretches by the Leafs, and made a handful of quality stops in overtime with their season on the line. Price has been a huge part of their now seven game winning streak, in which the Habs have never trailed in any of those seven games, a truly remarkable stat that is good for the second longest stretch in NHL history for a team to never have trailed in the playoffs.

Similarity 4 — Depth Scoring

As with most teams that climb the mountain and hoist the cup, there are plenty of unsung heroes who stepped up at the right time to get the job done. The cup is never won by one man alone. For the Kings, some of the guys that come to mind are Dwight King, Dustin Penner, and Trevor Lewis, all depth players who were heavy contributors and played a large part in bringing the first Stanley Cup to Los Angeles. For the Canadiens, who lack a clear number one offensive talent, the scoring is done by committee.

One of the primary reasons the Candiens have been so successful on their seven game win streak is the play of their fourth line, consisting of 36-year-old Eric Staal, who is centering 35-year-old Corey Perry and 27-year-old Joel Armia. The trio has combined for eight goals and 20 points through eleven games and they seemed to have little trouble dominating whoever Paul Maurice put on the ice for Winnipeg. Their play below the dots in the offensive zone was noticeable, trapping the Jets in their own end for minutes at a time.

Having four lines that can roll offensively and also be responsible in the defensive end makes the Habs hard to beat. Josh Anderson is arguably their top offensive talent when he is at his best, but he has been held entirely off the scoring sheet since game one of the playoffs. If they can find a way to get him going, they will become that much better up front, which they will need in a series against either Vegas or Colorado.

Similarity 5 — Checking Game

The final similarity to consider is the effectiveness of the Kings' and the Canadiens' checking. In the playoffs ice is impossible to come by because every player is that much more motivated and feeling that much more under pressure when compared to the regular season. In their run, the Kings were excellent at clogging up the neutral zone and preventing chances around their net, something the Canadiens have also done.

With their season on the line, giving it everything they had, the Jets could only muster 16 shots in a 62 minute game. That speaks to the commitment of the Habs to play a tight-checking, suffocating style of play. No matter what the Jets tried, they could not establish a cycle game or garner any rush chances. It helps to have such a large defensive group like the Canadiens do, with all six of their typical defensive cast coming in at over six feet tall, and four of them standing at 6-foot-3 or taller, making going to the net costly. They will need a continuation of that in the next round if they are going to see more success.

Confident and Rested

Regardless of whether the Habs face the Colorado Avalanche or Vegas Golden Knights, they will again be underdogs. Despite that, they have gained confidence in themselves and will be the better rested of the two teams entering the semi-finals.

I think it is a mistake to discount their chances even though it looks like their next opponent will be a superior team, at least on paper. The fact that this team was down 3-1 and appeared to be done just a handful of days ago is a stark reminder that anything is possible in the playoffs ... just look at the 2012 LA Kings!

Follow Peter on Twitter @MuffinHockey and check out his articles at the Stanford Daily Newspaper and The Hockey Writers.